YETI SB120

Hot Take

The SB120 is the bike mountain bike publications keep reaching for when they want to describe what downcountry is supposed to mean. NSMB's long-term reviewer said "I adore this bike," calling it "one of the most surprisingly awesome bikes I've ridden, ever." MBR called it "comfortably one of the best down-country bikes on the market." The Radavist's Travis Engel framed it as "the compact crossover SUV of mountain bikes," which sounds like a backhanded compliment and isn't one.

The Brand

Yeti is a Golden, Colorado premium brand. We covered their pricing story on the ASR writeup ("Yeti" and "dentist bike" used to be synonyms; the rest of the industry has mostly caught up on pricing), so we won't rehash it here. What matters for the SB120 is that Yeti's signature Switch Infinity suspension system lives on this bike, and the platform has had years to mature. The SB120 replaced the SB115 in November 2022 with longer reach, a slacker front end, a steeper seat tube, and 5mm more travel.

The Bike

Specs: 120mm rear on a 130mm fork (standard) or 140mm fork (LR variant). 66.5° head angle in the low flip-chip position. 76.5° seat angle. 475mm reach on a large, 439mm chainstays. Pinkbike weighed their Turq L complete at 29.5 lbs. That's on the heavier end of the category, which tracks with Yeti's gravity-leaning design approach in general. Six sizes, XS through XXL.The SB120 ships in two variants on the same frame. The standard version runs a 130mm fork. The SB120 LR ("Lunch Ride") subs in a 140mm fork and slackens the head angle by about half a degree. Same frame, same 120mm rear travel, different front-end character. The LR is the one riders who want more descending capability tend to go for. Seven total complete builds across the two variants.Pinkbike's Mike Kazimer, in his November 2022 review, called the SB120 a "comfortable trail cruiser" and noted how "well designed chainslap protection keeps the SB120 very quiet." The Loam Wolf's Max Rhulen wrote that it was "a damn fun and very well-rounded trail bike that will please riders from opposite ends of the spectrum." NSMB's long-term take (June 2024, after 18-plus months of riding) opened with the reviewer saying "I adore this bike." MBR's T-series review said the SB120 is "comfortably one of the best down-country bikes on the market," with suspension that "offers a great balance between creature comfort and support for wild rides." Travis Engel on The Radavist called it a "self-motivated masher."Prices run $5,700 for a C2 build to $8,600 for a Turq T3 X0 Transmission spec. Three C Series builds (carbon, 130mm fork), four Turq Series builds (premium carbon, two of which are LR with the 140mm fork).

The Last Word

This is a bike reviewers keep coming back to and keep describing in exceptional terms. It's not the lightest in the category. It's not the cheapest. But it's the one a lot of smart people pick when they could pick something else.